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america." >> this is "bbc world news america." the clashes in ukraine take a deadly turn. at least 30 are killed after a fire breaks out in a building occupied by pro-russian separatists. a landslide from heavy rains devastated afghan village. the u.n. says at least 350 people have died. and 100 years after dylan thomas was born, we will retrace the poet's steps through new york city where his legacy lives on. on public our viewers television and america and around the global stop today,

the violence in ukraine took a deadly turn. this morning, the ukrainian government launched an offensive to retake a city in the east of the country which was controlled by pro-russian separatists. during the clashes, two helicopters were shot down by rebels. he today, 30 pro-russian activist died when the building they were in caught fire in odessa. day of tragedy began with protests. rival groups of demonstrators converged on the city's center. pro-ukrainians hurling missiles at the police, and beyond the may program group. from early, there were injuries and deaths. people were killed by gunfire from the pro-russian side. then, disaster. the pro-russians retreated to this building. dozens were killed when it was

set on fire. there pro-ukrainian enemies are being blamed. it came on a day when the state tried to reimpose its will hear in the rebellious -- impose their will on the rebellious east. the militants were waiting in well-prepared for government attack. are beingol bombs prepared, and the promise of fire down the road and the soldiers may come. >> i don't want a dictatorship to control my country. answer to thee government's offensive. missiles that downed helicopters. these instruments of state power brought crashing to the ground. two pilots killed. here, a wooded crewmember is helped by the rebels who captured him.

it was an image that seemed to define the day in which the government struggled in the face of determined opposition. but it was on this bridge that we found the army being confronted by its own citizens. helicopters deployed troops onto this strategic crossing six miles from donetsk. the people refuse to let them pass. [yelling] she cried. local say this elderly man was injured. as the stalemate hardin on the bridge, we found a mood of the finance. -- we areepared determined. >> the soldiers were nervous,

far from kiev and the government giving them orders. you don't seem to control very much air. nothing? protesters.the the atmosphere on the bridge remains tense. there is not vs appetite for more confrontational the part of the troops, and a great deal of anger among pro-russian demonstrators. neither side knows where the military escalation is leading. for cocaine, bbc news. >> today, the topic of ukraine was front and center at the white house. president obama met with german chancellor angela merkel. the russian leadership must know if it continues to destabilize in the eastern ukraine, disrupting this month's president elections, we will move quickly on additional steps including further sanctions.

for reaction from moscow, i spoke with daniel sanford a short time ago about what impact the existing sanctions were having so far. >> i think at the moment, they are causing a great deal of nervousness in the financial markets. they are causing a continual slide in the value of the ruble, which means imports into russia which are important to people's standard of living will start going up. people will start feeling an impact in their pockets. at the moment, the sanctions that have targeted president putin's inner circle are not at this stage affecting ordinary people very much. only one of the banks was targeted by the sections. that affected the payment system a bit, and there was a bit of a readjustment. i think the key thing would be if further sectoral sanctions were brought in. in that case, the russian

economy will suffer very badly. it's already in recession. i think it could start to spiral badly if further sanctions were imposed. it issident obama says obvious to the world these protesters are heavily backed by russia. what is the reaction to that in moscow? maintains the people in eastern ukraine are very much bying on their own, backed people who feel strongly they don't want an anti-russian government ruling over them in and that they need more control over their destiny. the moscow narrative is they don't have any influence over those in the east, they want to give him courage where they can. they are effectively offering in the end to protect them, but they claim they do not have any influence over them at all. moscow's attitude towards the election in ukraine

on may 25? moscow does not think presidential election should go ahead. they say it is not the right climate. it is not really in russia's interests for the presidential elections to go ahead. what they want to do is carry on with this narrative that the people in power in kiev re: military who do -- are a that do not have the support of the people. that narrative coming of the support of the majority of the people in the country who would also have the support of a reasonable number of people in eastern ukraine. i think it is not really in russia's interests for the presidential elections to work well, so they will go on continuing to say they should not be held. >> daniel, thank you.

and afghanistan, the united nations says at least 350 people died after a major landslide and many more are missing. triggered by heavy rainfall, a hill collapsed on a village in a remote northeastern province. local government officials are appealing for help. they are asking for special equipment to dig through the mud. we have this report from kabul. >> rescuers start with shovels and their bare hands into the tons of mud that was left in hundreds of homes. they pulled out hundreds of bodies. some estimates say there could be thousands more missing. this is the most remote and mountainous part of afghanistan, and the disaster happened in the long narrow finger of land stretching towards china. it is an area of high peaks and narrow, deep ravines. there was a wedding going on in one of the compounds. as friday morning was a day off and afghanistan, people were at home in the landslide happened.

all families were lost in the mud. even in a more developed country, searching for survivors in mud is the most complex of tasks. this is one of the poorest regions in one of the poorest countries on earth, and it could be weeks before the full extent of the catastrophe is known. international forces are standing by to help. president obama says they will do what they can, but the afghan government has not yet requested any assistance. david loin, bbc news. >> appalling devastation. in other news, a truce has been reached between syrian government forces and rebels in the besieged city of homs, allowing fighters to with draw from their position. a prominent campaign group says about 1000 fighters are expected to leave the city over the next 48 hours. northern island police have been granted a next or 48 hours to interrogate sinn fein leader gerry adams in connection with one of the most notorious murderers.

was shot by the iranian 1972. adams denies any involvement. has asked thea attorney general to carry out a review of this week's botched execution in oklahoma that left a convict convulsing for 20 minutes before he died of a heart attack. mr. obama described the case as deeply troubling. as we first reported last night, the nigerian capital abuja has been hit by a bomb blast. this one killed at least 19 people, injuring 60. the car bomb targeted a biggie -- busy bus station in the suburbs hit by another deadly explosion last month. the militant group boko haram clambers possibility. will ross reports from the scene. >> scenes of chaos on the outskirts of the nigerian capital. a man was seen parking a car and

walking away, seconds later the bomb exploded. extremists that they carried out the first bomb attack. suspicion has fallen on the same group called boko haram. this is the spot where the bomb was detonated, a car bomb. over here, the wreckage of other vehicles. it is a great shot here, the fact this was the second blast in less than three weeks. people are wondering why they are tara getting this area. that's why they are targeting this area. at hospitals, the injured are getting help. this woman said she was waiting for a lift home with a friend when the bomb exploded. there was fire everywhere. she said she was thrown to the ground next to a burning car. she has no idea if her friend survived. i meet one man searching the abuja hospital, desperately hoping to find his brother alive. >> i cannot find him. >> is a very difficult time.

>> yes, a very difficult time for me. >> the insecurity is getting worse in nigeria. these are the parents of more than 200 teenage schoolgirl still missing after being abducted last month. they're probably being held by the same islamist extremist group. their relatives are angry the government has not done enough to rescue the girls. at the bomb site, forensic teams have come to help with the investigation. feeling vulnerable, many want to know what is being done to prevent another attack. this is all happening in a very worrying a time. to holde city is due the world economic forum next week with heads of state coming from all over the world. with relentless violence in the remote northeast and a bomb blast, perhaps it's time for everyone to admit the extent of the crisis in nigeria. will ross, bbc news, abuja. >> nigeria's government under

pressure. as violence flared in nigeria, the scale of conflict in south sudan is gaining international attention. fighting has largely broken down on ethnic lines. they have left thousands dead stop it has led to the comparisons to the rwandan genocide. u.s. secretary of state is in the world's youngest country trying to broker a peace deal. from the capital, we have this report. a warning, it contained some disturbing images. >> there is anger and tension in south sudan. inside the united nations camp in cuba, 20,000 people have been living on top of each other for not in appalling conditions. -- have been living on top of each other for months in appalling conditions. they have marks on their for head that they fear could get them killed.

john was an engineer with the electricity ministry. now he sells phone cards. he has not lost since december when a political row opened a tribal rift and sport civil war. he is afraid to leave. >> i cannot go home. there is no security. >> they will kill you? you are sure? >> i am sure. they will catch me and kill me. >> these people were killed when you were rebels retook the town from government troops. hundreds were killed on the street, hospital, streets, and a mosque. fortresscamp is now a after an armed pinko mob -- for an armed dinka mob force their way past peacekeepers and killed 46 people, half a of them children. >> i think the crimes against

humanity are being committed here. is one half of the problem. the former vice president and the rebel leader. he would be held accountable for atrocities. today, u.s. secretary of state voice toy added his the chorus of international outcry. dink, the president, a the other half of the problem, who agreed to a face-to-face meeting for peace talks. >> if both sides do not take steps to reduce the violence or violence, they literally put their entire country in danger. >> tens of thousands of people are trapped in camps all around the country in dreadful conditions. well over a million people have been displaced by the fighting in south sudan. this international effort from the ewing, the u.s., and

regional heads of state is about to try to break the cycle of , toence and revenge killing bring a cease-fire and try to get a lasting peace. that still seems a long way off. horror inof rwanda's south sudan. you are watching "bbc world news america." still to come, a massive study that could help determine the causes of heart disease and dementia. the results may have a huge impact on the next generation. after spending almost 80 years apart, twin sisters have recently been reunited. they were separated as babies when one was put up for adoption. they met in california after the longest separation ever recorded for twins. peter has this exclusive report from fullerton, california. oh, how lovely to see you.

reunion, backl together after almost eight decades apart. and elizabeth were born in 1936. their unmarried mother was in domestic service and could not afford to keep both. anne was given up for adoption and never knew she had a twin until last year. >> i went on facebook. dreaming that i had someone that's me. you know, that's part of me, a twin. >> elizabeth knew she had a long lost sister, but she never thought they would be reunited until she received a letter from anne's daughter. >> i did a double take on that. i opened it. i looked at it.

my eyes popped out of my head. >> the sisters agreed to take art in a university study of reunited twins. >> we want a copperheads of overview of their lives, abilities, interests, -- we won a comprehensive overview of their lives, abilities, interests, and this is really the world's longest separated pair of twins. >> for now, they just want to get to know each other better. against odds, sisterly love is blossoming late in life. >> scientist in britain are conducting a massive study state oft the physical adults. the hope is the findings will help determine the causes of some major illnesses like heart disease and dementia. first of 100,000

volunteers to have his entire body scan for the project. here is his report. >> keep nice and still. bones, even fat content. every part of the body will be imaged for this ambitious could for this ambitious project. i am the first of 100,000 people who will undergo the test. m.r.i. scan's will yield a huge amount of data. the goal is clear. thee will understand better causes of a wide range of diseases. the brain scans may help us understand the causes of dementia and other declines. dnacientists are analyzing from all volunteers and will compare this with information supplied on diet, fitness, health records, and cognitive tests. the dna is stored in this freezer, in trays, at -80 degrees. it is a combination of this huge

genetic database and lifestyle and medical information that makes the u.k. fire bank such a powerful resource. and johnson hopes the research will help explain why she got alzheimer's disease at just 52. >> my father had it before me. is lifestyle, like mine, there was nothing wrong with it. i cannot identify what caused it for him or me. if there wasentify a common denominator there which gives a clue as to what may be the cause of this. a the scanning project is not health check. volunteers won't see the scans. -- butcould potentially if a potentially serious problem like a tumor is spotted, at will be shared. it could mean early diagnosis, but also cause alarm. notome patients are

amenable to treatment. if somebody has the knowledge they have something that nothing can be done about, that can just create worry and impact negatively their travel and life insurance. example about tourism. volunteers know it's not there health but that of future generations that will benefit from this groundbreaking project. fergus walsh, bbc news. >> express from the art world say one of the world's most famous statues, michael angelo ross david -- michelangelo's david, is in danger of collapsing. the statue represents the renaissance idealism of manhood. small cracks keep reappearing after they are covered with plaster. dear. 2014 marks 100 years since the birth of the welsh poet dylan

polo astelin thomas. his play was first performed in new york. he died at only 39 years old. thomas morgan has taken a walk in his footsteps around the city. it is spring, warm as night. thomas perform here in new york city for the first time in 1953. it's a place he described as a city of towers. during his four trips here in the early 1950's, he struggled with the scale of the city in his letters home. >> i have no idea what on earth i'm doing here. it's very loud. night i have to take things to sleep. >> today people can visit some of the famous haunts on the dylan thomas tour.

here in thed typical dylan fashion, forgetting his notes. fortunately, a fan remembered she had the work of his poetry and dashed off to get it. >> but it was in manhattan at the 92nd street theater where this famous poet found a much bigger audience. the stage is set just like it was for the fifth performance on the 14th of may, 1953. it was in this very seat that ellen sat and perform to a crowd of almost 1000 people. dylan sat and perform to a crowd of almost 1000 people. it was very reverend until the humor and begins. a few people laughed at first. then it was uproarious. >> the majority of time was spent in bohemian greenwich village where he seemed most comfortable.

drinking his favorite holes, the white horse tavern, he is still remembered. >> he used to like to talk to the workers. and he liked to drink. he was here to drink. he had a social life. talker., he was a that's where he got his material, from people. >> now closed for refurbishment, the chelsea hotel was the poet's before hiss untimely death. many share the fear and fascination of the city, a place where his legacy remains. thomas morgan, bbc news, new york city. brings today's program to a close. find much more of today's news on our website. for all of us here at "bbc world news america," thank you for watching and have a great weekend.

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captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: the latest jobs' numbers show a spike in hiring, but also more americans leaving the labor force. good evening, i'm judy woodruff. also ahead, violent clashes turned deadly today in ukraine. the government launched its first major assault against pro- russian separatists as president obama and german chancellor merkel vowed further action against moscow if it continued to escalate the crisis. plus, a three-part look at africa: outrage in nigeria over the abduction of more than 200 girls from their school, a look at efforts to halt widespread killing in south sudan and we